Vol. 88, No. 35, March 23, 1979. 16 pages. View this issue
The front page of this March 1979 issue was crowded with JACL business. Sam Fujimoto, a candidate for the Los Angeles school board, faced a picket from JACL’s Ethnic Concerns Committee over his anti-busing stance, and he answered by citing his own experience of internment. Other stories covered public workshops on a single plan for the Manzanar project, the reintroduction of Assemblyman Richard Lehman’s bills on alien farmland ownership, and the first national Asian/Pacific Heritage Week, set for May 4-10. A letter to Sen. S.I. Hayakawa was also gathering signatures.
On the opinion pages, Clifford Uyeda wrote about the names Nippon and Japan, Harry K. Honda explained JACL membership renewals, and readers argued over redress. Bill Hosokawa profiled pizza maker Sat Takemoto and promoted his book of columns. Joseph D. Harrington’s Yankee Samurai serial turned to Military Intelligence Service linguists in the winter of 1944. Scholarship deadlines and the Tri-District Conference were also announced.
What’s in this issue
National
- Ethnic Concern Faults Sam Fujimoto’s Tie with Bus-Stop in Bid for School Board, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sam Fujimoto, a candidate for the Los Angeles school board, faced a picket by JACL’s Ethnic Concerns Committee over his anti-busing stance and campaign alignment with Bobbi Fiedler. Fujimoto defended his opposition to mandatory busing by citing his own internment experience and claimed most constituents opposed forced busing.
- Manzanar State Project to Evaluate Single Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The state is holding public workshops in several California cities to evaluate a single plan for the Manzanar project. The sessions will gather public input on alternatives developed from earlier workshops.
- Calif. Anti-Alien Farm Land Bill Reintroduced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman Richard Lehman reintroduced bills restricting non-resident alien ownership of California farmland, which the JACL opposed as based on anti-foreign sentiment. The JACL International Relations Committee will consider the issue at the Tri-District meeting in April.
- Asians Ask More Help for Viet Refugees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Los Angeles Asian social service agency representatives met with HEW Secretary Joseph Califano to request expanded federal aid for Indochinese refugees. An estimated 40,000 refugees live in the Los Angeles area.
Community
- Asian/Pacific Heritage Week Set for May 4-10, 1979, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian/Pacific Heritage Week will be observed nationally for the first time May 4-10, 1979, under a congressional resolution. JACL chapters are urged to seek proclamations and distribute an informational packet with teaching materials.
- Pizza Biz: Sat Takemoto’s Tolona Foods Story, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa profiles Sat Takemoto, president of Tolona pizza company, whose firm ships pizza ingredients to Japan and is building a plant there. Takemoto’s path from evacuation and military intelligence service to running an international pizza business is described.
- Deadlines Near for JACL Scholarship Applications, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Students are reminded that national JACL scholarship applications are due April 1 for freshman awards and May 1 for junior college transfer and graduate awards. The procedure now requires local chapters to screen freshman applicants first.
- Fifth Annual Bridge Tournament Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 9. San Jose JACL announces its fifth annual bridge tournament on March 24 at Wesley United Methodist Church, with duplicate and social divisions. Prizes and refreshments are included in the entry fee.
- Yankee Samurai Chapter 8: Winter 1944 Sees MIS Activities Expand, by Joseph D. Harrington, page 11. This installment of Yankee Samurai describes expanding Military Intelligence Service activity in the Pacific, including Nisei linguists who interrogated prisoners, warned U.S. forces of Japanese attacks on Bougainville, and recovered Japan’s Z Plan documents. It also covers the recruitment of Hawaii Nisei and the experiences of linguists in India and Burma.
Incarceration & Redress
- Letter to S.I. Hayakawa Campaign Sign-Up Extended, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Days of Remembrance group in Seattle extended its deadline to April 6 for signing an open letter to Sen. S.I. Hayakawa, to be published in the Washington Post. Signers are asked to contribute toward the $12,500 cost of the ad.
JACL
- Tri-District Conference Set for April 20-22, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The fourth biennial JACL Tri-District Conference will be held April 20-22 at the Holiday Inn in Fresno under the theme Growth Through Understanding. Workshops will cover redress, employment discrimination, affirmative action, international relations and politics.
Obituaries
- Beaths: Rev. Paul Kato and James Tadae Shimoura, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Rev. Paul Kato of Salt Lake City died in an automobile accident while working on the Utah Issei history project. James Tadae Shimoura, a Detroit Issei pioneer and rubber chemist who promoted U.S.-Japan relations, died January 17.
Military & Veterans
- U.S. Occupation of Japan: Reflections & Views, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A former occupation officer offers a point-by-point rebuttal to criticisms of the U.S. occupation of Japan, addressing food policy, the constitution, the emperor’s visit to MacArthur, and purges. He argues the occupation was historically successful and that Far Eastern Commission policy, not MacArthur, set key directives.
In-Depth
- Single Visit to Japan Recalled: Albert Einstein in 1922, by S. Chang, page 3. Daily Yomiuri columnist S. Chang recounts Albert Einstein’s 1922 lecture tour of Japan, which was greeted with enormous enthusiasm. Japanese audiences and businessmen turned out in large numbers, earning the visit the nickname the Einstein typhoon.
- Japan’s Cultural Changes Postwar Just as Striking as Economic Rise, by Advertiser, page 3. Columbia professor Donald Keene told the Honolulu Advertiser that Japan’s postwar cultural changes rival its economic transformation. He cites renewed cultural pride, rising living standards, shifts in diet, and growing exuberance in sports and music.
Commentary
- Nippon, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. JACL National President Clifford Uyeda discusses China’s adoption of new English place-name spellings and Japan’s debate over the name Nippon versus Japan. He notes the Japanese name Nihon or Nippon dates from about 700 years ago and that the word Japan derives from Marco Polo’s rendering.
- Membership Drive, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda addresses confusion over JACL membership renewal timing, where chapter memberships expire December 31 while Pacific Citizen subscriptions run on anniversary dates. He cites a Chicago chapter complaint about charging members who joined in October and November another full year’s dues.
- Sen. Hayakawa, by Letters to the Editor, page 4. Readers respond to a Sen. S.I. Hayakawa interview, with one arguing that redress concerns constitutional and moral wrongs rather than dollar amounts, and another disputing Hayakawa’s claim to speak for Japanese Americans. The letters reflect differing views on whether redress payments are appropriate.
- Yankee Samurai Letter on Flying Tigers, by Letters to the Editor, page 4. Author Vaughn Greene responds to a claim that the Flying Tigers were over-rated, arguing their combat record was impressive given inferior aircraft and corrupt Chinese support. He defends their historical reputation.
- Redress: Pro and Con, by Letters to the Editor, page 4. Readers debate redress, with one proposing that Japanese Americans choose between monetary restitution or lifelong federal tax immunity, and another arguing that accepting payment would cheapen the Nikkei record of achievement. The letters present competing views on the appropriate form of compensation.
- Shaggy Story, But Mad Dog Is What I Need, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A columnist describes life with her spoiled German shepherd Nicholas, who has learned to mimic words and tease her family. She reflects that second chances do not exist in life, only new experiences.
- From the Frying Pan: Comment No. 7, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa promotes his book Thirty-Five Years in the Frying Pan, a collection of selected columns on Nisei life. Mike Masaoka praises the volume as one of the best books on Japanese Americans.
Arts & Entertainment
- East West Players in Nihongo Play, by P.C. Staff, page 9. West Los Angeles JACL hosts the East West Players production of Are Kara Gojusannen in Nihongo at Nora Sterry School. The play, adapted from Kaneto Shindo’s novel, features Mako and other performers with no admission charged.
Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.